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| Dartmoor ponies to be painted in bid to cut road deaths | Dartmoor ponies to be painted in bid to cut road deaths |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Reflective paint is set to be put on Dartmoor's livestock in a bid to cut the number of animals being killed by vehicles. | Reflective paint is set to be put on Dartmoor's livestock in a bid to cut the number of animals being killed by vehicles. |
| The idea is from a project in Finland where reindeer antlers were painted. | The idea is from a project in Finland where reindeer antlers were painted. |
| Blue paint has been placed on privately-owned ponies to see how durable it is, with reflective beads to be added to the paint later. | Blue paint has been placed on privately-owned ponies to see how durable it is, with reflective beads to be added to the paint later. |
| Conservationists said motorists would not see the animal, but an "alien glow" which should slow them down. | |
| The Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society (DLPS) scheme has been backed by the national park authority. | The Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society (DLPS) scheme has been backed by the national park authority. |
| Karla McKechnie, livestock protection officer for DLPS, said about 60 animals had been killed on the roads across the moor so far this year, an increase on previous years. | Karla McKechnie, livestock protection officer for DLPS, said about 60 animals had been killed on the roads across the moor so far this year, an increase on previous years. |
| She took the Finnish idea to a south-west manufacturer, from where she got complementary tins of paint to test its durability on the animals' coats. | She took the Finnish idea to a south-west manufacturer, from where she got complementary tins of paint to test its durability on the animals' coats. |
| She said two ponies have been painted and the reflective beads could be put on animals on the moor within months. | She said two ponies have been painted and the reflective beads could be put on animals on the moor within months. |
| Dartmoor ponies | Dartmoor ponies |
| Source: Dartmoor National Park Authority/BBC News | Source: Dartmoor National Park Authority/BBC News |
| Bosses plan to paint the livestock along their sides and above their bottoms and tails, "really to get as much on as possible", she said. | Bosses plan to paint the livestock along their sides and above their bottoms and tails, "really to get as much on as possible", she said. |
| Ms McKechnie said it was "early days, but the trial was going well". | |
| "Motorists will not be able to tell it's an animal, they'll just see this alien glow, which might be able to reduce the speed of these motorists," she added. | |
| The charity, which plans to fund the project, although the exact cost is yet to be calculated, helps ponies, sheep and cattle on the moors. | The charity, which plans to fund the project, although the exact cost is yet to be calculated, helps ponies, sheep and cattle on the moors. |
| Rob Steemson, Dartmoor National Park's head ranger, said the authority "fully supports the project to reduce the number of road deaths". | Rob Steemson, Dartmoor National Park's head ranger, said the authority "fully supports the project to reduce the number of road deaths". |
| "These horrible incidents would not happen if motorists drove with greater care and anticipated that Dartmoor grazing stock regularly wander on to the roads." | "These horrible incidents would not happen if motorists drove with greater care and anticipated that Dartmoor grazing stock regularly wander on to the roads." |